Sen. Ben Watson, Guest columnist
The Georgia General Assembly completed the 16th of the 40 days allotted for us to complete the people’s business. As many of you know, our state constitution allows for no more than 40 days for a legislature to meet. This past week was a big week for many Savannahians who traveled to the state capitol in Atlanta to meet with legislators and statewide officials for the annual Savannah-Chatham County Day in Atlanta.
These past weeks have been productive as we passed the “Georgia Fights Terrorism Act” or Senate Bill 11, which allows for concurrent jurisdiction by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) in cases involving domestic, cyber, biological, chemical, and nuclear terrorism. This legislation allows the GBI to investigate allegations of domestic terrorism both independently or collaboratively with other law enforcement agencies.
We easily passed SB 11 by a vote of 49 to 3.
Many of you, my wife included, delighted that the General Assembly unanimously passed Senate Resolution 78, a resolution of congratulations to the Atlanta Braves’ Michael Harris, the 2022 N.L. Rookie of the Year and a Stockbridge High alum.
As Chairman of the Senate Health and Human Services Committee, I was satisfied that my colleagues passed Senate Bill 47 out of committee which would prohibit the use of vaping devices in smoke-free areas. This legislation defines smoking as inhaling, exhaling, burning, or carrying any lighted tobacco product intended for inhalation, including cigarettes, cigars, and pipe tobacco. The new term includes the use of an electronic smoking device which creates an aerosol or vapor or the use of any oral smoking device for the purpose of circumventing the prohibition of smoking. As a medical doctor, I support restrictions of tobacco products for better health of my patients, particularly those products which affect others around them. As chairman of this committee, I fully support this legislation.
My committee will soon review Senate Bill 109, legislation that would require the Department of Community Health to include continuous glucose monitors as a pharmacy benefit for Medicaid recipients. This legislation, which I cosponsored, states that on and after July 1, 2023, the Department shall include coverage for continuous glucose monitors as a pharmacy benefit under Medicaid. The criteria for such coverage shall be updated to align with current standards of care when the recipient has been diagnosed with diabetes mellitus by a treating doctor. Once again, as a physician who treats many patients with diabetes, I recognize the needed use of monitors to better control the ever-growing development of the disease of diabetes.
As we progress through the session, I will keep you updated on legislation. I am in 325-A Coverdell Legislative Office Building. My office phone number is (404) 656-7880, and my email is ben.watson@senate.ga.gov. I look forward to continuing to serve you.